1. 5-year-old recreates photos of iconic women every day for Black History Month. So fantastic.
2. The new midlife crisis for women. Lengthy read, but definitely worth it.
3. What’s up with dudes who don’t wear coats in winter?
4. Love these portraits from the Oscars.
5. I am borderline obsessed with Dan Levy. Love Schitt’s Creek so much.
6. Spring Break is approaching – here’s how I packed for a week in London and Paris in a carry-on.
7. I have to say this is the way I’ve eaten most of my life and it works. Creating restrictions for myself usually backfires in the worst way.
8. Dude. People are so up in arms about Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s performance at the Oscars. Bottom line – it’s called acting on an awards show for ACTING.
9. Who misses spooling the cassette tape? I sure do.
10. Speaking of nostalgia, remember AOL dial-up? This dad has the right idea.
11. I absolutely believe in dressing for joy and confidence. Good TED Talk – this really addresses self-esteem at the deepest level.
12. I wrote about green beauty retinol earlier this week and the demand for the product was insane! Thrilled to report that the folks at African Botanics have offered a discount for those of you who might not have seen the info before the original deal sold out. For the next two days, 20% off any purchase with the code WHOORL20 at their website. Enjoy!
Happy Friday! OMG, IT IS MARCH.
image credit: the binding
Lauren
March 1, 2019 at 9:29 amHi! I have a question that comes from a place of curiosity with no judgment(!): has your weight ever fluctuated? As a tall, thin woman with features that meet the societal standards of beauty, do you think that has had any influence on your ability to maintain the habit of intuitive eating throughout your life? As someone whose weight fluctuates (and who has felt the pressure to be thin and beautiful), I wholeheartedly agree with every part of intuitive eating, but still struggle with the actual practice with the base fear that my body will go through periods of being “less than desirable.” I admire you so much and hope that’s clear in my question. :)
whoorl
March 1, 2019 at 12:18 pmHi Lauren!
I love this question – thanks so much for asking! So, I think according to societal standards, I have probably always been considered as thin/thinner than average, although my weight has definitely fluctuated around 20ish lbs during certain periods of my life. I think one of my heaviest times was this year:
https://whoorl.com/2011/01/losing-the-baby-weight-the-second-time-around/
However, at my heaviest, while some might not have considered me overweight, I still definitely felt super negative about my appearance and felt pressure to lose the weight. I have a really narrow frame, so even a few pounds really does make a difference in the way I look and the way clothes fit. All to say that even though I wear smaller sizes and such, I still feel the pressure when my weight creeps up.
For me, intuitive eating (which I didn’t even really know was a thing until I read about it and was like, “this sounds vaguely familiar”) is more about not allowing myself to fixate on restriction because I am one of those types that the minute I try to control what I’m eating with a plan/diet/etc, I mentally hyper-fixate on it and it always backfires. I end up consuming more than I would have had I just not tried to “follow a plan.”
So to your question, yes, I do think being thinner than average does release me from some of that hyper-fixation and pressure which allows me to focus on other facets of my life. Because the times when I’ve been the heaviest have concomitantly been the times I’m most stressed about it and thus the cycle of planning and backfiring begins.
Gosh, I hope this is answering your question. I don’t even know if I’m making sense! xo
Lauren
March 5, 2019 at 10:48 amHaha! Beautifully worded, very relatable, and totally answered my question. Thank you so much for the genuine answer. :)
Rose
March 3, 2019 at 10:57 amI enjoyed the Ted Talk – it is so wonderful and very inspiring to see the confidence and joy that her daughter expresses!